


Not Lonely Anymore

by tsumekakusu



Series: 100 Days of AUs [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Divergence, Cats, First Meeting, Flirting, Happens two years before the canon story starts, M/M, alcohol mention, no actual drinking occurs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22207948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsumekakusu/pseuds/tsumekakusu
Summary: “Welcome to Sakanoshita. We have canned tuna, alcohol, and newfound friendships.”
Relationships: Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin
Series: 100 Days of AUs [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589305
Comments: 6
Kudos: 92





	Not Lonely Anymore

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Takeda-sensei!

He’s seen the same guy come in every day, walk around the aisles looking at every food item, then walk out without buying anything. If he didn’t already recognize the guy as the new teacher who just started teaching at the local high school, he’d have called the police. 

Not that a teacher  _ couldn’t  _ be a criminal, but something about the man makes him think twice before making negative assumptions. 

The bell rings, signalling a new customer. He looks up and sighs. 

It’s the same teacher, but this time he walks straight toward the canned foods section, grabs an arm full of canned tuna, and nearly runs to the cash register. 

“Will this be all for you today?”

“Do you sell cat toys by any chance?” The man looks up at him with desperate eyes. 

_ Oh wow, his eyes are so much prettier up close... No no no, I did not- no- oh shit- _

“Um- I- We don’t sell any here, but I know the pet store nearby sells some stuff-”

“Do you sell any socks? And maybe some twine or thin rope?” Some hope remains in his eyes. 

“Uh, no, but we sell construction paper and ribbons, if that works?” 

“Yeah, that’s perfect!” the teacher’s eyes light up with excitement. “Where can I find them?” 

“Oh, I’ll get them for you,” Keishin mutters, letting out a breath as he swiftly escapes from the teacher’s excited aura. He takes in a long breath before returning to the cash register, quickly ringing up the items. 

“Please keep the change! Thanks!” the man exclaims, throwing a five thousand yen bill on the counter and sprinting out of the store. 

_ I don’t know what just happened... _ Keishin blinks rapidly, trying but failing to process the events that just occurred. 

~~~~~~~~~~

He was supposed to have the night off, but he’d switched shifts with his mom,  _ not because of the cute teacher who probably has a stray cat nope, no, he’s just making sure his mom isn’t in the store while a robbery takes place- _

He looks up as the front door chimes. His eyes widen at the sight before him. 

The man,  _ no,  _ the cute teacher with glasses and messy hair is wearing a  _ cat hoodie.  _

_ Dammit, why does he look so natural in it? I can’t even laugh at him!  _ Keishin looks down, pretending to focus on the new store catalog that Shimada had given him that morning. 

“Um...”

His gaze shoots up to meet a nervous smile. 

_ Shit shit shit- _

“Where is the cardboard section?” 

“Oh, just walk straight backwards and turn left at the third aisle,” Keishin feigns nonchalance as he tries not to stare at the cat ears shifting every time the other man takes a step. 

“Thank you!” the teacher exclaims, walking toward the back of the store. 

Keishin can’t hold back a chuckle at the teacher’s excited movements. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It’s been a slow day. He’s barely had three customers in the last hour, and one of them was a lost child looking for his older brother. Granted, he’d been rewarded with the purchase of two drinks after reuniting the two brothers, but it’s still been a slow day. 

The front door chimes. 

He looks up, eyes narrowing on the drenched figure trudging through the doorway. 

“Need a towel?” He asks instinctively, walking toward the shivering man and holding out his own towel for him. 

“I- Okay.” 

He recognizes that voice. 

The man keeps his head down as he wraps the towel around his head, the cloth making him look even smaller in his hunched form. 

“Are you-” Keishin stops when he sees the dejection in the teacher’s eyes. 

_ Something must have happened. Something bad. _

He gets the undeniable urge to hug the man, to tell him that everything’s okay, that everything will  _ be  _ okay, but he holds back. 

_ I barely know this dude, I can’t just go hugging random strangers just because they frequent my store. Besides, I don’t know if- _

He hears a sniffle coming from next to him. He almost thinks he mistook it for the harsh winds outside, but he hears it again. 

“You need to dry off properly,” he mutters, hesitating for a moment before laying a hand on the other man’s shoulder. He takes a corner of the towel, gently rubbing the rain out of the teacher’s curly locks. 

A loud sneeze echoes through the store. Keishin grimaces as something wet sprays him in the face. 

“S-sorry,” the teacher mutters, grabbing the other corner of the towel and wiping Keishin’s face with it. He realizes the boldness of his actions while he rubs at Keishin’s cheek and he abruptly drops the towel, taking a step back. “I-I’m so-sorry-”

“What brought you in today, sensei?” Keishin mutters, unable to take his eyes off of the other man’s trembling bottom lip. 

“I- Where’s your liquor section?”

Keishin’s eyes widen. Yes, it’s a Friday, but he’s never seen the man go anywhere near the alcohol section.  _ So why now?  _

“It’s in the far corner of the refrigerated section.”

“What’s the strongest liquor you have?” 

Keishin furrows his brows. “Do you wanna get drunk or something?” He plays coy, throwing in a smirk. 

“Maybe I do,” the teacher whispers, feigning stubbornness.

“Oh, then I can recommend you some. What type of alcohol do you usually drink?” Keishin switches into business mode. 

“Shochus, and sakes. I like sake the best though,” the shorter man finally looks up. 

“I’ll choose some sakes for you then,” Keishin answers, leading him to the alcohol section. He picks three bottles from the large selection of sakes displayed and holds them out to the teacher. The older man glances at each label and nods, before hugging them with one arm. “Do you have any snacks?” 

“Yeah, I can recommend you some if you want?” 

“Okay, then I’ll just wait at the register,” the teacher mutters, slowly making his way back to the front of the store. 

Keishin deadpans. He doesn’t know if he feels comfortable being given this much trust. He’s always been mistaken as a delinquent, even though he’s a third year in college  _ dammit _ , but something really is off about the teacher. Keishin quickly grabs his three favorite snacks and makes his way back to the register. 

“Oh, I need to see your ID for the alcohol,” Keishin mutters on reflex. He knows the teacher must be at least twenty years old, but he shouldn’t play favorites just because he’s cute. 

The teacher takes out his wallet, eyebrows furrowing as he pulls his ID out. He hesitates for a bit, hands shaking as they stop just out of Keishin’s reach. 

_ Is he under twenty? I mean, he looks young, but there’s no way- _

The shorter man sighs, slowly setting the card on the counter. 

Keishin’s curious eyes are naturally drawn to the name etched onto the card. 

_ Takeda Ittetsu. A strong name for a steadfast person.  _

Next, he checks the birth date on his card, chuckling when he confirms that the man is over twenty years old. He’s tempted to ask him why he was so reluctant to give him his ID, but then his eyes catch on the calendar next to the register. 

January 10th. 

He looks back down at the birth date on the card.  _ January 10th.  _

His gaze returns to the drooping man in front of him, wanting to do something,  _ anything _ , to make his day better.

_ Should I invite him up to my room? But that’ll make me seem like a creep. Oh, maybe the park? It’s only a short walk away! _

“Um, if you don’t have any plans, do you wanna maybe go to the park? I can grab some more drinks and we could watch the sunset together?”

The teacher sniffles, shifting nervously. 

_ Oh shit, was that too forwar- _

A sunflower blooms in front of him, filling him with a sense of familiarity and warmth. It’s the first smile he’s ever seen on the teacher, Takeda-sensei,  _ Ittetsu’s  _ face, and it’s directed at him. If he hasn’t fallen for him yet, he’s definitely stumbled down a rabbit hole this time. 

He returns the smile, clearing the order on the register and bagging all the cans. 

“I would love to spend time with you, but it’s still raining outside,” Ittetsu giggles, looking out of the window. 

_ Shit.  _ “Then- uh, would you like to go up to my room? We still need to dry you off, to make sure you don’t catch a cold,” Keishin mutters with no pauses in between. 

“That sounds wonderful, Ukai-kun,” Ittetsu answers, smirking at Keishin’s blooming cheeks. 

“Keishin.”

“Hm?”

“Call me Keishin,” the younger man smirks, biting his lip as he watches Ittetsu’s face bloom red. 

“Then you can call me Ittetsu,” the shorter man chuckles, taking off his glasses. He goes to wipe them off on his shirt, but laughs when he realizes his shirt is soaked too. 

“Let’s get you something dry to wear,” Keishin mutters, motioning upstairs. 

“Oh, is that an invitation for something more?” Ittetsu smiles coyly.

_ Holy shit, this man is dangerous- I- _

“Sorry, your expressions are too cute, I can’t stop teasing you,” Ittetsu covers his grin with his hand. 

“Are you sure you aren’t drunk already, sensei?” Keishin mutters, gently grabbing Ittetsu’s wrist and pulling it away from his face. 

“No, but I wouldn’t mind if I was.”

“You- We’re getting hammered tonight,” Keishin smirks, tugging on Ittetsu’s arm. 

They share matching grins as Keishin grabs the bag of drinks and snacks, leading Ittetsu up to his room.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone wants to know, Takeda-sensei was sad the kitten that usually roamed the school grounds hadn’t shown up that day, and he was alone on his birthday. I headcanon that Takeda-sensei had to move to Miyagi when he got his teacher job, and as he adapted to every impossible task thrown his way, he grew into a tenacious person. (It also explains why he’s so good at bowing his head, lol.) Honestly, I love these two’s personalities and overall dynamic. <3
> 
> (Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu!! or any of the characters! Thanks so much for reading!! ^o^)


End file.
